Black Friday in O.C.: shopping, wishing, grooming

Which made Black Friday in Orange County a safer and apparently saner event than what took place in San Antonio, Texas. There, early morning shopping sparked a fistfight that devolved into one man brandishing a weapon and another hiding behind a discounted refrigerator.

Over appliances.

But not here. In Orange County, shoppers and retail workers took in the first full big day of what could be a big shopping season with...

Good cheer?

Absolutely.

Here's a rundown of how the first-half of Black Friday played out for one family and, broadly speaking, for workers and others at two malls on opposite ends of Orange County:

6:30 a.m. BREA MALL -- The Anderson family of Anaheim – parents David and Brigid plus sons David, 9, and Christopher, 6 – pull their white, four-door sedan into one of the two parking structures at the Brea Mall. They bring a family friend, Katy Govin, 25, of Lancaster, who is staying with them for the week and who is willing to wrangle the boys when necessary.

The Andersons arrive with a plan. Wearing Christmas shirts (yes, one is ugly), they use sunrise and two more hours to explore the stores that dot the outer ring of the Brea Mall. First up is GameStop, followed by Target, Toys R Us and Old Navy. The grownups ask the boys what they're interested in for Christmas and, once that's established, one adult sneaks away to make purchases.

They've got non-kid purchases to make as well. Brigid, 33, is one of five siblings; David, 38, is one of four. Add in grandparents, great grandparents and friends, and the shopping list grows long and expensive. They spent part of Thanksgiving night looking over holiday shopping ads, clipping coupons and strategizing which stores to visit.

Beyond that, they keep their organizing paper-free.

"You have to keep a list in your head of who you are buying for and what they want," Brigid says.

8:15 a.m. A solitary customer slowly browses the Santa figurines at California Christmas store. A few ornaments are hung on plastic trees while some stockings remain a shelf, waiting to be hung.

Though stores inside the mall opened at midnight, Menke says she waited until 7 a.m., not expecting a big crowd so early.

"It's kinda slow for us because everyone is out looking for the big deals," says store owner, Debbie Menke.

"It'll pick up later."

8:45 a.m. Debbie Morrison, owner of Paradise Bakery and Cafe, still hasn't had her morning coffee.

She celebrated Thanksgiving on Wednesday, and opened her food stand 11 p.m. Thanksgiving night, feeding mall employees before shoppers arrived for the newest ritual in retailing – midnight shopping on Thanksgiving.

Now, nearly 10 hours later, her stand – featuring a powerful scent of baked goods – is the only one in the food court with a line.

9 a.m. BREA MALL — The Andersons (and Govin) stop at the Brea food court for cinnamon rolls and rest. But within a half-hour, they've resumed the hunt, moving to Crazy 8, a kids clothing store. There, the boys try and eventually buy red and green plaid shirts.

At the door of the shop, the boys write letters to Santa.

"These two are the best shoppers I've seen," Govin says of the Andersons as the boys write.

10 a.m. — The peal of sleigh bells rises dramatically as Santa walks through the mall toward his dark, wooden seat. As he settles in, four groups of children – including the boy with the now tidy hair – line up to meet him.

The man playing Santa this year at The Shops at Mission Viejo, Lorin Montag, says the wishes he's been hearing from kids so far this season are similar to what he's heard in previous years as the mall's main man — requests for toys and games. The best wishes, Santa says, are those that "ask for gifts of the heart."

He adds that he doesn't feel threatened by today's retail orgy, which is heavy on parents buying toys and trinkets for their children.

"There is no Black Friday for Santa," he says.

10:12 a.m. — Jose Gausin, project manager for the mall's housekeeping unit, is five hours into a possible 13-hour day. Gausin says much of what his team provides for customers at the mall is doubled – or more – for Black Friday.

Gausin says his Black Friday work crew is set at 21 workers, up from the usual staff of 12. He says they'll check and service the restrooms every 15 minutes, twice as often as the usual 30 minute intervals. And, critically, his crew is prepared to replace 36 industrial sized toilet paper rolls today, up from the standard 12 rolls.

10:30 a.m. BREA MALL – Between stores David, 9, drops a lollipop Santa gave him a half-hour earlier. The candy lands on the hard floor and cracks in two, and he soon begs his parents a replacement sucker or some other candy. His parents decline the request.

10:45 a.m. — At the Macy's makeup counters, David and Christopher grow antsy, using their mother as a jungle gym by hanging on her outstretched arms. But as the boys cling to their mother Brigid starts looking at makeup.

"Now I go shopping for me," she says, though she eventually leaves without buying any makeup.

11 a.m. — The boys get a second wind at Bath & Body Works. They sniff soaps and sample a couple of lotions. When the boys tire of new scents, Govin draws a mustache on Christopher's finger. Soon after, he walks quickly through the store toward his father, loudly announcing "I have a mustache!"

"We usually get a wave when we open, then it fades," Hyde says. She added that she'd heard this year the store doubled its expected sales in the first couple of hours of the night.

As the Andersons and Govin leave the store, Brigid gets a cell call from her brother, Harmon Ward of Diamond Bar. He's arrived at Brea Mall with his wife, Stephanie, and their sons, Jack, 7, and Patrick, 4. The families plan a noon meet-up at McDonald's, followed by a dual-family excursion to the Brea Wal-Mart.

12:04 p.m.: SHOPS AT MISSION VIEJO: The shopping crowd is growing significantly. Two valet employees run between the car park parking kiosk and the parking lot in an effort to move a dozen cars that are double-parked in front of the Cheesecake Factory.

As they work, Santa sits with, amazingly, no kids waiting to share their wishes. So instead of chatting with kids Santa sits in his seat and waves as shoppers rush by.